The Games People Play
by therandomgoddess
Summary: This story is setting up for a series of stories where Prince Ivan's child marries Prince Aslan's child. This tells the story of how the friendship between the couples started and how the rest of the Princes reacted. A lot of humor, Prince Oliver, Prince Sieg, Prince Kuon, and Prince Hayden add to the mix


All the princes were gathered at Nobel Michel for a conference to further relations between the kingdoms and to come up with solutions for problems on a global scale, anything and everything from the environment to helping the economy and all else in between. It was an ambitious project, to be sure, and they would be spending months there with the occasional travel back home but they also had things to celebrate.

Prince Aslan had married the now Princess Alicia 4 months prior after a whirlwind courtship and less than two months after that wedding Prince Ivan had married one of Alicia's best friends, Mandy. Both courtships had amused the other princes to no end and they were all looking forward to teasing the newlyweds.

Two weeks after the conference started all the princes had noticed that Prince Ivan and Princess Alicia started talking to each other more and more when they were all gathered together.

It drew their curiosity since Ivan and Alicia were both newlyweds and still seemingly very much in love with their spouses. However, it couldn't be denied that they were frequently spotted together, heads close to each other as they talked. Alicia was prone to talking with her hands and she would gesture wildly and even Ivan would get animated during those conversations. At one point, eyebrows were raised when Ivan grabbed one of Alicia's hands and seemed to write on it with Alicia smiling and nodding.

The princes would look towards Aslan or Mandy whenever they saw these things but it seemed they were both oblivious to what was going on.

Oliver's curiosity finally got the better of him and he approached Sieg, Kuon, and Hayden at breakfast one morning. "I think you have all noticed that something strange is going on with Ivan and Alicia. I thought about talking to Aslan but he seems so oblivious to the whole thing, I don't want to say anything without concrete proof. After all, there may be a perfectly reasonable explanation even if it doesn't seem that way, what do you think?"

Hayden spoke up. "While I admit it does seem strange I don't really think either is the type to have an affair if that's what you are thinking. Although maybe you want there to be problems since you still have a crush on Alicia?"

Sieg smirked at those words "You don't know when to give up Oliver."

"You're no better with your crush on Mandy." Kuon spoke up quietly.

Oliver and Sieg both blushed at these words then Sieg spoke up angrily. "I don't have a crush. I am just concerned for Mandy's sake."

Hayden shrugged. "We'll all keep an eye on the situation but I think you two are blowing it out of proportion. Kuon I wanted to discuss a point in the environmental report that just came in. Shall we go to my office?"

Oliver and Sieg finished their breakfast in silence after the other two had left then decided to go join them. As they passed Ivan's office they heard Alicia's laugh through the slightly open door and stopped to listen.

"Tonight I'm going to beat your ass so soundly you won't be able to sit for a week. Just wait." Alicia's voice reached the two princes who had gotten as close as possible to the door to listen.

"No way princess, I always come out on top."

"I don't know about that, it's high time someone put you in your place and I am just the woman to do it. I have to be going, my appointment starts in ten minutes, same time tonight right?"

"Yes, looking forward to it."

Oliver and Sieg exchanged startled glances then scurried down the hall so they wouldn't be caught right outside the door.

Alicia passed by and waved cheerfully at them as she went towards the Shaharazal offices.

"I don't even know what to think of what we just heard." Oliver said slightly stunned.

"Neither do I. I think we need to investigate further. Think we should let the other two know?"

"Not yet, Hayden and Kuon didn't seem to take it all that seriously and they'd probably just accuse us of stirring trouble without more evidence."

The two of them tried to get close whenever Ivan and Alicia were together but found it difficult to do so without being obvious.

At one reception Oliver decided to try broaching the subject with Aslan.

"So, Aslan, what is the deal with Ivan and your wife?" Oliver realized after he said it that he may have been a bit too blunt but it was too late.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, care to elaborate?" Aslan looked at Oliver over the rim of his wineglass as he took a drink.

"Well, they just seem to spend a lot of time together." Oliver grew uncomfortable under Aslan's steady gaze and didn't notice the glimmer of amusement crossing the other man's face.

"Really? I hadn't noticed anything unusual. Alicia represents Shaharazal just as much as I do and we are all here to strengthen the bonds between nations."

Oliver decided to back off at that moment since he was unsure what to say to that and he really didn't want to cause trouble if there was nothing going on.

He informed Sieg of what had happened and they were talking things over when they spotted Alicia making her way towards Ivan. They decided to try and hear their conversation so they headed towards Ivan as well. Oliver and Sieg managed to get there slightly before she did and hid themselves behind a pillar to listen.

"Hey wonderboy! Next time watch what you are doing. I just found out your carelessness last night is going to cost me a ton in repairs to my robes." Alicia said as she reached Ivan.

Ivan grinned in response. "Well princess if you were stealthier and your coordination was better we wouldn't have been in such a tight position now would we? You really need to learn better tactics so we can get by unseen."

"Hey, you were the one who dragged us to that room. We could have been done so much earlier if you hadn't decided you just had to have some fun there first."

"Complain all you want, we both know you like it when we play well into the night, it's too much fun to just go at it for a short time, especially since we mesh so well."

"Fair point but we might want to tone it down a bit, I feel like I've been neglecting Aslan too much and I don't want him to get upset with me."

"We can always work out a schedule so everyone is satisfied. The music is about to start so I will go dance with Mandy but reserve a dance for me so we can talk."

Ivan and Alicia left to find their respective spouses leaving behind two very shocked princes.

"Did we just hear what I think we heard?" Oliver asked Sieg slowly.

"If you think we heard that they seemed to be talking about sneaking around the castle, clothes being damaged, and having fun into the night, then yes." Sieg replied.

"I think we need a little more evidence but I am definitely concerned at this point."

"Same here."

They went off to find Hayden and Kuon and explained what they had been up to that evening.

"I know for a fact you two are making a big deal out of nothing and you should just talk to them directly. If you will excuse me." Kuon walked away from them to find a drink.

Hayden looked at them thoughtfully. "I agree with Kuon but I will talk to Ivan tomorrow if it will set your minds at ease."

Oliver and Sieg could only nod at those words and hope for the best.

The next day Hayden stopped to talk to them "I had a talk with Ivan and everything is fine. Stop worrying about it and find something else to entertain you."

The two princes had been relieved to hear this but that relief was cut short when they were in the garden a few days later and overheard Ivan and Alicia talking behind a hedge. They got as close as possible and peeked between the bushes at them.

"You are being too stubborn about this name business. The one I picked out is perfectly fine." Ivan sounded irritated as he looked at the tablet in front of them.

"Either we compromise on a name that incorporates both our countries or we pick one in a different language. This is our baby so this is not just about you and what you want. Besides, we both know that you are going to make me responsible for most of this."

Ivan and Alicia walked out of earshot then and Sieg and Oliver sat down heavily on the bench.

"I think we can't deny it now. We have to find a way to keep this from becoming an international incident. I can't believe it. I would maybe expect this from you Oliver but not someone like Ivan." Sieg said with a sigh.

"What is that supposed to mean? I'm not that bad! If I were I would have gone for Alicia long before this. I respect my friends marriages. Still, this is hard to believe. Alicia does not strike me as the type to cheat, especially not with her friends husband." Oliver replied

"I think you have rose colored glasses on as far as she is concerned. I am going to go find Mandy and see how she is. She's bound to have noticed something at this point and probably doesn't know what to do."

"And you think I'm bad, there you are swooping in on your crush at her moment of need." Oliver smirked at Sieg with those words.

Sieg flushed angrily. "That is not what this is about. She's a friend who is in need. That is all." He turned and stalked out of the garden leaving Oliver alone to think.

Oliver really didn't want to think badly of Alicia, that was true. The whole thing just didn't make sense to him, Alicia was too kind, open, and honest to do this kind of thing. It was possible Ivan had some kind of hold over her and was forcing her into this, after all, that man could be very scary. Oliver had convinced himself this was the case and he resolved to go talk to her after dinner since he knew Aslan was going to be at a business meeting.

As he was about to tap on her door he heard Alicia yelling from inside "Goddamit wonderboy, what the hell do you think you are doing? Stop that this instant!"

Oliver rushed in without a second thought eyes widening as he surveyed the scene before him.

The next day Sieg walked into the dining hall to see Alicia settling herself down next to Oliver. He got close enough to overhear anything if they talked but made sure to hide himself so they wouldn't notice.

Alicia spoke first "Did you enjoy yourself last night Oliver?"

"I'm not sure. I had no idea you became such a different person at night. Who knew under that sweet exterior lay such a bossy sadist. I'm still smarting over the punishing pace you set last night." Oliver complained to Alicia even as he smiled.

Alicia patted Oliver's shoulder. "You will learn how to do it properly eventually and you'll end up loving it, you'll see."

"I don't know about that. I performed that nature's kiss move over and over again and ended up using all my stamina and exhausted myself too early."

"That was your problem. You have to learn other moves and pace yourself a bit, find the right combination for maximum effectiveness. Once you do, it will be easy and you will find you can go much longer. The rewards are worth it."

Oliver nodded. "You're right. Watching you and Ivan go at it was certainly stimulating."

Alicia smiled again. "Well, we will teach you the ropes. I have to get going, try to rest ok? You will be stiff for a few days till you get used to the whole thing.

Alicia left the dining hall and Sieg came out of hiding and dropped himself in the chair next to Oliver.

"What the hell are you doing with Alicia? I thought you were going to resolve the issue and instead I find you two getting all chummy.'

Oliver looked at Sieg with red-rimmed sleepless eyes. "Oh there you are, did you talk to Mandy last night?"

"I tried to but I didn't know what to say and she seemed to be amused by something so I let it be. That's beside the point though. What happened last night?"

"Well I found out that Ivan and Alicia are into some interesting games and they invited me to join them. The moves take some getting used to and the outfits are definitely interesting. Alicia was in this tight fitting short thing that left little to the imagination. My eyes almost bugged out when I saw it. The bad part is that I'm in a bit of pain today. There was a lot of stuff I'm not used to and on top of that holding one position for so long killed my upper body. All in all though, it was a lot of fun." Oliver grinned at Sieg who had been turning different shades of red as he listened.

Sieg spluttered for a bit "What the hell? I don't get it? How can you be so calm about this, this…" he stopped at a loss for words.

"Relax, Hayden and Kuon know too and they are ok with it even if they aren't into it. It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal! Aslan and Mandy should know about this!"

"Oh they know as well. They sometimes take part but most of the time Ivan and Alicia are just a little too intense for them. Hey, pass me those eggs will you? I'm starving."

Sieg handed Oliver the eggs wordlessly brain still trying to process what he had just heard. Who the hell was this woman Aslan had married and how had she managed to convince all the princes to join in her perverted games? He could see Ivan being into them, him being such a hard ass, but Alicia had seemed so sweet. Mandy's face floated before him and he shuddered to think that such an innocent girl had been exposed to such things. He quietly ate his breakfast as he continued thinking, not noticing the little amused glances Oliver kept throwing his way.

As the day turned to evening Sieg was coming out of the library when he bumped into Alicia.

"Sieg! I was just looking for you! I want to talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?" Alicia didn't wait for Sieg to answer as she propelled him back into the library.

"Anyway, Sieg, I know from things people have said and the way you cook that you are really good with your hands and are a good multi-tasker so I was wondering if you'd like to join our little group. It's a lot of fun and we meet twice a week. One night is for more casual fun and another is for the hardcore ones. Tonight it's a small informal group so it would be an excellent way to introduce you to the whole thing and let you decide if you like it. Here. I brought something that should explain things better and help you prepare. Oh, you don't have to bring anything, we have extra equipment. We start in two hours in Ivan's living room so hopefully we'll see you then!" Alicia left before Sieg could get a word in edgewise.

He sat down heavily on one of the chairs, stunned at this sudden turn of events. Part of him was intrigued even as he was repulsed. Sieg kept drawing the bag towards himself then pushing it away as he thought things over. Finally, close to the time Alicia had told him to meet, he opened the bag and withdrew what was inside.

The whole group was gathered and setting things up when the door burst open as Sieg flew in waving a book in his hand.

"A video game? All this secrecy, the weird behavior, everything… it was all about a video game?"

He looked around the room and met Alicia and Ivan's shocked faces then noticed Aslan, Mandy, and Oliver laughing themselves silly.

"Yes? Well more than one video game actually. What did you think it was about?" Alicia asked puzzled.

"What are you talking about Sieg? What do you mean by secrecy and everything?" Ivan asked with a frown.

"You and Alicia were always talking by yourselves and looking suspicious, you two had a conversation about some damaged clothes and the need for secrecy, you even talked about baby names! What was I supposed to think?"

Ivan's frown grew deeper. "Well at first I didn't want anyone to know I was playing video games but I didn't go out of my way to hide it. I don't recall you being near us for any of those conversations though. Were you spying on us Sieg?"

"He was too! He thought same thing as I did, that you and Alicia were having an affair." Sieg pointed at Oliver and Oliver stopped laughing.

Alicia turned to Oliver "Is this true? You thought I was cheating on Aslan with Ivan?"

"Yes, we both did, it's why I came to your room last night after we heard you discussing baby names."

Ivan and Alicia looked at each other, disgust etched on their faces.

"Ewwwwwwww!" they both said in unison.

"He's like a brother to me, as if!"

"What, me have an affair with this brat? Especially when I have an exquisite woman like Mandy? Ludicrous! Alicia's like my baby sister, disgusting."

"Ick ick ick, Oh lord I think I'm going to be sick, yuck! Just the thought of it!" Alicia started making exaggerated gagging motions and flailing. "This is both the most disgusting and funniest thing I have heard ALL month. Oh my God." she was laughing so hard she ended up sitting on the floor, tears streaming down her face.

Ivan was laughing as well but then turned to Oliver. "Oliver, you knew what was going on last night, why didn't you tell him the truth?"

Oliver shrugged. "I did, I told him you two were into interesting games. Not my fault he misinterpreted it. I even told him everyone else knew and were ok with it."

"You know you made it sound dirty! Especially after everything else we heard. You are not innocent in this."

He pointed a finger at Mandy and Aslan "And you two! You knew we all suspected something, we even tried saying something to you both and you all acted so innocent."

Alicia looked at her husband from where she was still sitting on the floor. "Is that true? You knew everyone was suspicious and didn't bother correcting them? "

Aslan went over to his wife and sat beside her and hugged her "I'm sorry hansar-am, Mandy and I were having a bit of fun with them. We knew the truth so we didn't worry."

They all talked into the night and it was explained to Sieg that Alicia had introduced Ivan to video games when he was trying to court Mandy and they had both become fierce competitors and teammates. While their spouses played with them, they didn't have the same level of enthusiasm and intensity that Ivan and Alicia did for the game they liked best.

Aslan and Mandy had discovered that the other two would get competitive and start trash talking when they played against each other so would make bets on who would score more points, who would insult the other the best, etc. The bets would range from having to do menial chores, to making the other pull a prank, and future babysitting services when children came along.

For some odd reason, Ivan and Alicia also worked very well together, usually placing at the very top of the leader boards in PvP games as a duo. They had decided to form their own guild in the MMO they played so they could have a way to play with their spouses that wouldn't be so intense. That game and guild was what they had invited the princes to play since they figured it might be a good way to relieve stress, bond, and learn better ways of communicating and cooperating.

They showed Sieg the game and he had to admit it was a lot of fun even if he was still angry at Oliver for deceiving him and a bit at Hayden and Kuon for not just telling them the truth. He vowed he would practice and play on his own as well cause there was no way he was going to let Prince Pompous and Princess Giggles be better at something than he was.

After everyone had left Ivan gathered Mandy up in his arms and took her to their bed where he settled down with her. "Did they really think I would cheat on you?"

"Apparently so. They're stupid though."

"You don't think I would though, do you lyubov moya?"

"Of course not, why would I?"

"If you want me to spend less time playing and more time with you I will, you know that right?"

"I know that my dear husband but really, it's fine. You spend more than enough time with me and I think it's hilarious when you and Alicia fight."

"Have you really been placing bets on me?"

Mandy nodded "Of course. You are my husband, I have to cheer you on and I believe in you."

"Well, it is a sure bet on your part."

"No comment on that one dear."

Ivan looked at Mandy "Oh? Are you saying I lose a lot?"

"Let's just say that Cia is way more creative with her insults than you are and as far as points, well it depends on the game you're playing. Let's just leave it at that ok?"

"Enough talk." Ivan kissed Mandy deeply.

Meanwhile, Aslan and Alicia were also talking while snuggled down in their own bed.

"You know, I understand that you were having fun but I'm kind of hurt you would let the others think I'm the kind of woman who would cheat on you. Especially since Sieg apparently thought I was into some really kinky group things and seducing all the men in the castle!"

"I am really sorry. I should have thought about how it would make you feel. We didn't think they would actually think either of you would cheat. If they hadn't been spying they wouldn't have gotten as suspicious as they did. They could have also just asked us directly like Hayden and Kuon did. Still, I should have known better. Can you forgive me?"

"Maybe, but I should make you come to the dragon caverns and grind for a bit tomorrow, I hate it but gotta be done, you'll need to break out your healer corazon."

Aslan groaned "Grinding is boring. Isn't that why you play with Ivan?"

"You don't get jealous anymore then?"

"Who said I was ever jealous?"

Alicia gave him a steady look saying nothing.

"Alright, I admit, I did get jealous at first but I know now that it's just an outlet for you and that I am first in your heart. Plus, I like watching you take Mr Arrogant down a peg or two. Now, about my making things up to you." Aslan moved so he was on top of Alicia and started kissing her neck.


End file.
